Russian customs to open 14 tax free points

The points will be set up in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi air hubs

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MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/. Russian customs service will set up 14 tax-free points in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi air hubs within the pilot project of the system launch in Russia, head of the Federal Customs Service Vladimir Bulavin told TASS in an interview on Friday.

"We made a proposal to set up points in Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Pulkovo and Sochi airports at the first stage. This does not mean other airports will not want to joint this project. I think this will be done fairly quickly. Therefore we will need to organize operations of 14 points at the first stage," Bulavin said.

Setup of such points will require staff increase because operations within the project framework will be carried 24 hours a day, he added.

The Ministry of Finance said earlier it hopes that the tax-free law will become effective from October 1, 2017.

Foreign buyers will be able to get refund of VAT paid when purchasing goods in Russia for alcoholic drinks with the pilot launch of the tax-free system. VAT refund will not cover other goods under excise. VAT refund for foreign nationals during the pilot project will be 100% from the purchase amount of at least 10,000 rubles ($175.5).